What are we doing in the name of God?

"As comforting as it may be to perceive ourselves as a nation set apart by God, a 'City on a Hill', a light that shines in the darkness, if it can be sufficiently proven that the Bible forbids such a mixture of religion and nationalism, the question that we in America are going to have to ask ourselves is, are we a strong enough people to abandon our myths and see truth or will we continue to perpetuate the myths in favor of cultural cohesion?"

These are words from an American evangelical Christian who found himself face to face with a Radical Fundamentalist Muslim during the 2009 filming of a documentary entitled Holy Wars. In his book, Alone with a Jihadist - a biblical response to holy war,  Aaron D. Taylor discusses this encounter and the major overhaul of his own perceptions (from 'just war' to American Zionism) that resulted from it.

Taylor set out to  re-examining Scripture and his home-grown ideal that the American system is the form of government that God sanctions and defends. In the end, Taylor had to face the reality that Jesus never established any kind of political system, nor did he ever ask his followers to defend any government with the use of force.

The spirit of this book is very similar to that of Greg Boyd's Myth of a Christian Nation - which Taylor references within the pages of Jihadist. The fact that this conversation is rising up among many Christian speaks to the notion that it might be time for many of us to take another look.

I know I am. I love my homeland. I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. But gone are the days when I believed that God has a special place in his heart for the red, white and blue. He absolutely loves us, but I dare say that doesn't have a thing to do with our geography.

While I am still not ready to declare myself a pure pacifist, I have, in the last couple of years, begun feeling an internal struggle between the patriotic values I grew up with and the ways of Christ that I am coming to know through my own walk with Him. I am noticing a distinct difference between what Jesus taught and the American-made religion I was handed growing up (all due honor to that gift of faith). Aaron Taylor understands. He says, "I entered the pacifist world kicking and screaming, so I know how hard it is to undo an entire lifetime of cultural conditioning". I am thankful that he included an appendix in his book made up of his answers to the tougher questions about pacifism and Christian faith.

I could study this book a few times over. It is thick with biblical and historic scholarship and makes a compelling case against Christ-sanctioned war. I am certain I will return to it as I make my way through this overwhelming issue.

Chapter four is especially compelling, entitled 'Democracy the new crusade?'....Yeah, ouch.

Good stuff. Important stuff. Read it!

--
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the author and/or publisher through the Speakeasy blogging book review network. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR,Part 255.